Nick Street is living his professional dream.

“I’m originally from a small town in southern Iowa and from the time I started down the academic path I dreamed about working at The University of Iowa,” Street said. “The day I got invited for an interview here is still one of the best days of my life.”

Street, professor of management sciences and director of the health informatics subtrack, looks for useful patterns in large databases. He has used this data mining process to assist those in the health care field. For example, Street worked with a team at the UI College of Nursing to examine children’s responses to painful medical procedures. Over time, the team found patterns in the data that helped them develop effective distractions and interventions to minimize discomfort for children undergoing painful procedures.

Street also collaborated with a colleague in the College of Public Health to develop a personal lifestyle recommendation system to help people minimize their risk of heart disease. “I find the academic environment at the UI to be amazing,” Street said. “There’s nothing better than coming to work every day and being surrounded by world-class people.”